A while ago a wrote a post about journals (here). It was inspired by finding a fellow Romanian on Etsy who hand makes beautiful journals (Artreasury Journals). I was writing in that post that I grew up alwayskeeping journals as most girls and women I knew, back then. After I posted it I had doubted myself for being so honest while writing it: I was concerned I sound old or cheesy. "Who the heck cares about keeping a journal these days ?"
As always... when I ask myself a question, the answers gets handed to me sooner or later.
Case in point: couple of weeks ago I read about an exhibition called: "A diary: three century of private lives" at the Morgan Museum, and I made my business to go see it yesterday. I have never been at The Morgan Library and Museum, so I thought it could be the right opportunity, as well. So, I went....
I spent an amazing afternoon in a place which have instantly became number one in my own museum's chart, right up there, with my beloved MET.
The exhibition was tiny but impressive: the likes of Charlotte Bronte, Tennessee Williams, Bob Dylan, Einstein, himself, all kept hand writing diaries. I got to see them, in original, all drown from the personal collection of the Morgan Museum.
The answer to my question seems to be that humans have always had and will always have a compulsive need to record their life, their thoughts, their ideas. Is it ever gonna change? Never! The only thing that has changed today is the medium. Today we have the Face Book, blogs (like this one), social networking who are substituting the blank pages diaries as we've known them, but the reasoning and the purpose is unchanged: our vital need to hold on to something, and to make believe that we have not gone thorough life without leaving a trace.
That some of us would take this to an extreme, facilitated by todays' convenience of a "keep me logged in" to Facebook....well, that's a different discussion, and it is not taking place in here, on my blog, but it's a food for thought.....
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| Diary of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne (1809–1871) You can read about the exhibition here |
While there, my biggest surprise of all was to see the Library and reading room of the J.P. Morgan. You already know from my "My dream reading room" post that I am longing to a have a home library , a whole separate reading-office room dedicated to intellectual work, art work and simply reading, rather that what most of us have today, a corner room with a desk and a computer (some may skip "the table" altogether: "long live the laptops and the tablets!").
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| The Office |
I was speechless, as you can image: here are the highlights of what I found in the house that once belonged to the American financier Pierpont Morgan : two subdued lighted rooms, with walnut bookshelves covering the walls from floor to ceiling, chandeliers, 1890s Persian rug, ornate and painted ceiling (originally shipped from Florence), lavishly red tapestry, period, hand carved furniture, marble, bronze, his extensive art collection: of paintings and statues, and last but not least : a grand collection of the greatest work of literature from bygone days to modern ones ,all rare books, first editions and manuscripts.
I went there for what I thought to be a nice exhibitions of diaries, and I found myself in the middle of what I like to imagine Paradise must look like....
As a personal taste: I like to mix the old, and the very old with the avant-garde and ultra modern, but that's not always an easy task... There is very fine line, and one must, first, be able to locate it and, then, the challenge is to maintain it while making it look harmonious (just try it, if you don't believe me!). The Morgan museum does exactly this. After what, I found out is was a 100 million restoration, they have expanded the old house, hosting the museum today, with an entirely new transparent, glass court where guests can have a glass of wine (well, I just had a Coke) and listen to some violin players, which i did, before I went downstairs to the auditorium and watched a movie based on the life of Adele Hugo, Victor Hugo's daughter, who's diary was on display as well, played by Isabelle Adjani who was nominalized for an Oscar for her performance in "L'Histoire D'Adele H" .
I went there for what I thought to be a nice exhibitions of diaries, and I found myself in the middle of what I like to imagine Paradise must look like....
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| East Room: The Library |
As a personal taste: I like to mix the old, and the very old with the avant-garde and ultra modern, but that's not always an easy task... There is very fine line, and one must, first, be able to locate it and, then, the challenge is to maintain it while making it look harmonious (just try it, if you don't believe me!). The Morgan museum does exactly this. After what, I found out is was a 100 million restoration, they have expanded the old house, hosting the museum today, with an entirely new transparent, glass court where guests can have a glass of wine (well, I just had a Coke) and listen to some violin players, which i did, before I went downstairs to the auditorium and watched a movie based on the life of Adele Hugo, Victor Hugo's daughter, who's diary was on display as well, played by Isabelle Adjani who was nominalized for an Oscar for her performance in "L'Histoire D'Adele H" .
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| Gilbert Court, all glass, including the two elevators |
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| The auditorium |
It was a "heavy" movie, and if you are into Blockbusters with a lot of action and fast dialog, you'll probably walk out mid way through it, as many just did, last night.
For myself, I believe you can tell: I had a blast! I've got so much more than I had expected or asked for.
And that was not all, after I had arrived I found there was no bike rack on the site....I had no place to lock my bike (!).... and, yes, I complained and made a bit of a fuss about it, and even more so, when the security guard looked at me and lift his shoulders (oh, how I detest this gesture as a clear indication of stupidity) and sent me away. So, I asked to see the director in charge....and after I did, my bike landed inside, in a secure, locked room, so I can enjoy myself and the hours I spent there (with the free complimentary pass given to me by the director) without a worry in the world!
And that was not all, after I had arrived I found there was no bike rack on the site....I had no place to lock my bike (!).... and, yes, I complained and made a bit of a fuss about it, and even more so, when the security guard looked at me and lift his shoulders (oh, how I detest this gesture as a clear indication of stupidity) and sent me away. So, I asked to see the director in charge....and after I did, my bike landed inside, in a secure, locked room, so I can enjoy myself and the hours I spent there (with the free complimentary pass given to me by the director) without a worry in the world!
How was that for a Friday night?
